Payment trouble

Clau2
Level 2
Puebla, Mexico

Payment trouble

My guests are trying to book and tell me that their credit cards have some error and Airbnb won't accept the payment, they requested at first if they could pay in cash, which I said no and now they are telling me that they can't process the payment and if there is another way to pay. I do not want to violate terms or put myself in an insecure transaction but I want to help them in some way if there is. I need your help! Could this be an indicator that I should not rent to these people? They actually said they have used Airbnb before around the world but they have zero reviews
14 Replies 14
Clare0
Level 10
Templeton, CA

@Clau2 Nope, don't accept the reservation if they are unable to pay.  If they can't make the reservation payment through Airbnb there's nothing you can do or should do for them.  Don't let anyone talk you into any arrangement other than normal Airbnb procedures.  They are there to protect you.

 Right, lack of reviews should tell you something.  

I wouldn't hesitate to decline and stop communicating with them. 

I know that sounds harsh, but there are a lot of people out there that want to sweet talk hosts into doing something that's not in their best interests to do.  

Remember, hosting on Airbnb is a business, pure and simple.  It's not your responsibility to fix things for guests.  

Thank you!! I am very upset by this because they rushed me into a same day booking! I actually live there so I was all day running to set the place perfect for them and at nearly 8pm learned that they were trying to trick me into violating terms!!! I would never try to harm Airbnb .. This is a business and I wouldn't want someone to go behind my back...
Thank you for your response @clare
Louise145
Level 1
Montreal, Canada

I am about to lose a guest for tonight because of the same problem. The message they received from Airbnb about their card requires them to wait 24 hours for approval. The guest and others in her party are new  Airbnb users.

It is never worth the risk. They can book when they pay. If they cannot pay, they should not book with you. That's really all there is to say. If you try to fix their problems they will likely be high maintenance guests who you will regret accepting.

Debi30
Level 1
Marion, AR

I am a guest attempting to book.  I have excellent credit and this is my first time booking.  I have used three different credit cards and none have gone through. A couple different messages have come up.  The last one said "Looks like this payment method can’t be added. Use an existing method or try this one again later." I use these cards on other sites regularly. I guess I'll just have to give up.  Airbnb is losing money for hosts needlessly.

.The same thing is happening to me right now! I've tried multiple cards

@Luz92  I would phone or twitter message Airbnb to see if they can clear this up for you. I know they don't like to lose guests. Also, if you are trying to do this through the phone app, maybe try on a laptop (in Chrome or Firefox- other browsers don't seem to work well with Airbnb), if possible. 

Michail4
Level 2
Vilnius, Lithuania

Bellow my letter to Airbnb and I didn't got real answers to my questions

 

Hello Maria,

 

I attached all documents I have. You could see from them, that I paid money (822 GBP) for the apartment reservation as a bank transfer.

BUT all information I got for payment I got via your website.

Your company is hosting fraudulent services and you (airbnb.com) being the intermediate service provider let me to believe that the money I am paying are for the services you advertise. You are responsible for customer protection.

I feel misled and let down by your company and I insist you revisit your approach to this problem.

Michail

@Michail4   If you sent money via bank transfer you got scammed- you found the place not on the official airbnb site but elsewhere, right? Air bnb does not take bookings via bank transfer. These scammers direct you to a FAKE Airbnb site. These scams are happening all over the world. They are NOT Airbnb. Search " Possible scam" and related threads on these forums- many people have fallen for these fakes, but it's nothing to do with Airbnb.

Hello Sarah,

 

Thanks for your attention to my problems with Airbnb.

I understood that it was my big mistake.

BUT MY FIRST STEP TO FAKE AIRBNB SITE WAS DONE VIA REAL AIRBNB SITE.

And so Airbnb must be answerable for it.

 

Regards

 

Michail

@Michail4  How so? You found a place on the real airbnb site, contacted the host and then he directed you to send him $ via bank transfer? That's the only way I can think of that such a thing could happen.

Could you post the website address you used for the "first step"? We can tell you if it's legit. These scammers are REALLY GOOD at faking the airbnb site.

How could  I attache few documents to this message?

 

@Michail4  You would need to either create a screen shot them or take a photo of them to add to this thread using the photo option.

Same annoying problem, first time user. .. dozens of attempts  and seem and nothimg.   workWhat seemed to work is I downloaded the app. At first it wouldn't go through. After a few attempts, a new option popped up offering to use Google pay. Tried once and on the second attempt it went through. The host communicated with me, so it seems to be working, though it's still on "pending" and funds still haven't been withdrawn from my account. Still hoping it goes through 100% and hopes this helps anyone. Very annoying indeed.